The present invention pertains generally to powered cutter blades for use with portable brush cutting machines in the clearing of land.
In wide use today are lightweight machines carried by the individual operators which include a small gasoline engine which drives a circular blade via a lengthy drive shaft. Such machines are used to clear land of small trees, undergrowth, brush, etc., usually in remote areas where servicing of the equipment is inconvenient. Currently in use are brush cutter blades that have teeth formed integral with the blade periphery which blades are best serviced at a saw repair facility. Accordingly it is necessary that a quantity of costly blades must be on hand in the field to prevent lost time in the event a blade is severely damaged or worn. Further, the continuous taking of blades into a facility and returning same to a remote operational site is a substantial inconvenience and costly.
In the prior art are cutter disks having saw chain teeth in place thereabout as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,958,348 and 3,425,467. The former patent discloses a circular disk having a radially disposed groove in its outer edge within which is carried the anchor portion of certain chain links of a continuous cutter chain. The last mentioned patent discloses a router tool having a peripheral portion of channel configuration in section to receive cutter teeth and spacer rings held in place by pins 24 terminating flush with the disk sides. French patent 1,194,641 discloses a circular saw blade with cutter teeth fixed to opposite sides of a circular plate, the teeth having depth gauges of the same width as the metal body of the cutter teeth. Huther, U.S. Pat. No. 869,574, and Hafner, U.S. Pat. No. 1,988,898 disclose circular discs having teeth inset into apertures formed in the blade periphery. U.S. Pat. No. 646,281 discloses a metal cutting saw having apertures about its outer margin to receive pins and setscrews to retain arcurate saw segments in place within a radially disposed groove.
Of interest is Swedish Patent 80528 which discloses a saw blade with an outer marginal area recessed on opposite sides for the mounting of cutter elements shaped to fit within te recesses. The blade is of very costly manufacture and requires the use of cutter elements corresponding in shape to the blade recesses.